


Of Spies and Poisoners

by junko



Series: Senbonzakura's Song [39]
Category: Bleach
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-10
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 20:56:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2596133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Captain Kyouraku's cryptic remarks, Renji rushes to check on Daisuke, the kagema/spy...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Spies and Poisoners

When Renji finally found Daisuke, he thought he was too late. 

Eishirō had rushed them to a room in the back of the estate where a huge number of ‘overflow’ servants slept on dozens of futon spread out in a palatial, if unused room. Daisuke lay curled in a tight ball, his face to the wall. He didn’t seem to be breathing; he was so still.

Eishirō and Renji exchanged nervous glances. 

Renji crouched down beside him. A trembling hand reached for a shoulder. “Daisuke?” 

When Daisuke rolled over to squint unhappily up at Renji, Renji nearly collapsed to the floor in relief. Renji pulled back his hand with a “Oh thank fate.”

“What time is it?” Raking fingers through his tangle of blond curls, Daisuke yawned. Smacking his lips, he looked around at all the other men in various states of dressing. His gaze seemed to linger on the fancy fusuma panel on the far wall. “Where am I?”

“The Kuchiki estate,” Eishirō answered. He’d been wringing his hands, but, seeing Daisuke moving, he tucked them into the sleeves of his Kuchiki blue servants’ kimono. “You were brought here yesterday after you were seen to at the Fourth Division.”

“Kuchiki?” Daisuke scratched his chin as if trying to place the name, but then finally focusing on Renji’s forehead tattoos he seemed to remember. “Oh, yeah. The teahouse boss.” He nodded at Renji, “Your lover.”

“Did you hit your head or something?” Renji wondered. Of course, Daisuke still had a yellowing bruise on his cheek, a fading reminder of his mistreatment at the hands of the Eleventh. Probably he’d gotten knocked around plenty. It shouldn’t be a huge surprise if some bits had gotten knocked loose. Still, he was usually sharper than this, wasn’t he? More well-spoken?

Daisuke seemed with it enough to get the gist of Renji’s question, “Look, I’m not a morning person by nature, but I was kind of sick last night. I still feel kind of loopy.”

One of the men who was sitting on a nearby futon, putting on tabi, nodded, “We had to get him a chamber pot. He threw up until he had nothing but heaves.”

Renji exchanged another look with Eishirō. They were both thinking the same thing: poison. 

“I’ll fetch some ginger tea,” Eishirō said. 

Renji nodded. It didn’t seem like Kyōraku’s style to poison someone, but then neither did drunkenly howling at the gate. Could there be other people after the secrets this kid had? “How many enemies do you have, anyway?” 

Daisuke had been rubbing his face. He stopped to peer through his fingers at Renji. “More since you lot got involved,” he said, dropping his hands into his lap. He was wearing the simple shift that the Fourth had given him. It hung open revealing a trim, slender chest and waist. A blanket pooled in his lap. “If I were at the Eighth I’d have one less.”

Renji snorted. “If you were at the Eighth you’d have none. Last I heard, dead men tell no tales.”

“True. I should be grateful to you.” Daisuke sighed and glanced around the room again. Once again his eyes seemed to stop to admire the rich painting before returning to Renji. “Has your master decided what he wants to do with me?”

Renji was pretty sure the only thought Byakuya had on the matter was focused on Kyōraku not getting what he wanted. But, for that to happen, they were going to have to do something with Daisuke—even if it was to disguise him and send him off somewhere. Maybe they could take advantage of the chaos of the birthday and send Daisuke home with one of these Kuchiki. “I think it depends on if you have any skill as a valet.”

Daisuke’s eyebrows went up and then he laughed a bit. “I have a lot of experience making gentlemen comfortable, but don’t ask me to fold kimono.”

“Heh, I hear that,” Renji smiled a little wickedly. “But you seem smart. I bet you could learn—if you were willing.”

“If it means my life, I’d be willing to shovel crap in a stable.”

“Careful what you wish for. My brother said the same and he didn’t last long at the job.” Renji stood up. Adjusting Zabimaru, he gave Daisuke one last warning, “Keep your guard up. The staff is alert now, but I wouldn’t be taking any candy from strangers, if you know what I’m saying.”

Daisuke nodded. Renji thought maybe Daisuke had gained back his mental sharpness, except that, when Renji turned back to check on him before slipping out the door, Daisuke had collapsed back onto his futon as though holding things together for even those few minutes had been too much. 

It was upsetting to see Daisuke like this, but what bugged Renji the most as he walked through the corridor back toward the kitchen was that poison sounded a lot more like the sort of thing Soi Fon would do. Or Mayuri Kurotsuchi. 

The last thought gave Renji a case of the shivers. But, if Kurotsuchi wasn’t asexual or science-sexual, he had to get be getting it somewhere, right? No one in the Gotei would tap that if they were sane, so did he pay for it? Weirdly, Renji could imagine so… because he could figure that the captain would be into some kind of kinky ‘experiments.’ But, even if he did, no way did a guy like Kurotsuchi pillow talk. Just no. And, he was way too paranoid to give up his secrets to a paid companion, ever. 

Besides, probably if Kurotsuchi went there, it was with that clone daughter of his. After all, there were things in Hueco Mundo, Renji really wanted to unsee.

With another deep shiver, Renji banished those thoughts.

Soi Fon made more sense. Even though Renji was pretty sure she was a lesbian, he wouldn’t put it past her to be the sort who would do whatever it took to find out a secret or to use Daisuke the same way Byakuya and Kyōraku had. 

Then again, poison did seem like a nobility thing. Weren’t courtiers always doing each other in with trick rings and the like? Maybe Daisuke’s enemies weren’t Gotei at all, but feuding noble houses. 

Maybe Byakuya would have some ideas. 

Renji was nearly to the kitchen when he noticed that people were giving him double takes or, in one case, actually squeaking and jumping out of his way. The hell? Then he noticed that people’s eyes were been drawn up, to his forehead. 

Oh, right, he’d forgotten his bandana. 

This was why he always wore one. Renji thought his eyebrow tats were pretty damn cool, but he got no end of grief for them. They made servant girls squawk; they scared small children; they fascinated subordinates to distraction.

Luckily, Renji quickly found who he was looking for. Eishirō stood in the hall just outside the kitchen proper directing pages and tea boys to and fro. Seeing Renji, he asked, “I trust sending Aio with the tea was all right? I needed to get on with things, as you can see.”

“Yeah,” Renji nodded. “Only two more days until the big birthday.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Eishirō said, while deftly turning one of the younger boys who was loaded down with a tray in the right direction. “I presume the two of you will have evening plans?”

“With luck,” Renji said. “Speaking of, you know where he’s at?”

“His cousin, Lady Hirako, has been in deep negotiations with her father.” Eishirō continued to point and direct servants with gestures as he spoke. “His lordship has been presiding over the proceedings since quite early this morning.”

“Sounds serious,” Renji said. “You think he’ll be free by lunchtime? I should probably tell him the latest developments, you know?”

“I suspect his lordship would welcome an excuse to call a halt to all of this in-fighting,” Eishirõ said. “I could be wrong, but shall we find out?”

Renji wasn’t so sure, but he followed Eishirō through the bustling crowd. “Ain’t you worried about getting in trouble?”

Eishirō laughed lightly. “Lieutenant, when you’ve been house steward as long as I have, you know how to ask the right questions the right ways. His lordship will know what I’m offering and I’ll know if he feels he must stay and see it through.”

Renji nodded. In a lot of ways, their jobs were similar. An adjutant had to know which meetings could be interrupted, which ones the captain would want an excuse to leave, and which ones had to be endured no matter what. Somehow it seemed easier when soldiers were involved, more straightforward. Besides, most of the time a blunder just got you a dressing down. With noble families involved… well, it seemed like with some of them all it would take to start a blood feud would be being seated at the wrong table at dinner.

Renji did not envy Eishirō his job. Not one bit.

In a minute, they knelt in front of a rice paper door together. Eishirō bowed all the way to the floor. Renji hesitated a second, but then followed suit. 

Eishirō seemed to be waiting for a break in the conversation before knocking. Renji strained to catch the words. A guy whose voice Renji didn’t recognize talked about something with a great deal of vehemence. He wasn’t quite angry sounding, but he seemed damn determined to make his point. A feminine voice kept trying to interrupt, only to be talked over by the dude. Byakuya, from what Renji could gather, hadn’t weighed in yet. 

Renji had no idea what prompted it, but Eishirō perked up at something and then rapped his knuckles on the door loudly. 

Now Renji could hear Byakuya say quite clearly. “My steward with business,” he explained. “I have entertained this discussion long enough. I will take the rest of the afternoon to deliberate and have my pronouncement on the matter this evening.”

There were murmured, irritated, “Hai, Byakuya-sama.”

Now Eishirō announced, “Sixth Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai to see you, my lord.”

Full name and title? Renji looked a little curious, but figured Eishirō knew what he was doing.

Renji understood when Byakuya said, “Send him in.”

Oh, so he was going in and the Kuchikis were staying. Renji was going to have to make some kind of formal report. Did he stand? Kneel? He should probably get up, go in a few paces, and get back down on one knee at least. Keep his head bowed….and make it fast and professional. But, this complicated things! How was he supposed to refer to Daisuke? Probably vague was best. 

As Eishirō slid open the door, Renji whispered, “You could’ve given me some warning.”

Eishirō shrugged helplessly before resuming his subservient posture.

Sucking in a breath, Renji pulled himself up and strode in confidently, like this was the sort of thing he did all the time. Byakuya sat seiza on a slightly elevated dais, in uniform, complete with the heirloom scarf and kenseikan. The lord sat the same, facing Byakuya a polite distance from the dais. He wore the kind of kimono Renji had seen men wearing at the Hanami: dark blue hakama, a slightly more colorful shitagi and then a sort of flared-shouldered, sleeveless haori over that. His hair was short, but it too was dark and straight with just a hint of gray salted throughout. His features were very regal and Kuchiki, if a bit rougher and more solid-looking than Byakuya.

The surprising one was the young lady. She sat seiza next to the older gentleman in an Academy uniform. She was as beautiful and delicate as any Kuchiki with long, straight black hair that hung to her shoulders unadorned, and flashing, intelligent gray eyes. When their gazes met, Renji gave her a nod like he would to any subordinate in uniform. 

Then, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head, “Taicho?”

Byakuya stood up, causing the lord and lady to do the same. “You must excuse me. The lieutenant and I have division business to attend to.” 

They bowed to him and then Byakuya turned and swept out of the room. The moment Byakuya passed, Renji stood to give them both bows, “Lord,” he said, from a deep one. To the lady, he gave a much more shallow bow and said, “Cadet.” As he turned to follow Byakuya, Renji noticed his address caused her to break out into a huge smile before returning a bow and a, “Lieutenant.” The older gentleman’s hand flashed out as though to stop her bow and he gave Renji a to-kill glare.

The hell?

Once they’d gone a short distance, Byakuya turned his head just barely and said lowly, “I love you, Renji Abarai.”

“What’d I do to deserve that?”

Byakuya explained as they walked: “Hirako, the young cadet, enjoys the soldiers’ life. You made her tremendously pleased with your acknowledgment of her rank. Her father, my grandfather’s youngest brother, believes soldiering to be an unsuitable profession for a young lady—particularly one who bears the Kuchiki name, and, as such, is highly marriageable.” 

Renji tried to figure out what the problem was, but couldn’t. “Can’t she just get married after she graduates? You did.”

Byakuya turned, leading them down a wide, exterior hallway. Despite how busy and full the estate was, somehow, this corridor was empty. “Indeed, she could,” Byakuya agreed thoughtfully, “If she could find a man willing to be a soldier’s husband.”

Renji was about to say that it couldn’t be that hard to find a guy who wanted a kick-ass woman in his life, because: hello, hot! But, then it occurred to him that she probably couldn’t marry any old person—she’d have to get hitched to someone with a title, who’d probably have different expectations for a wife.

Still, not every nobleman in the entire Soul Society was a conservative traditionalist, were they?

Byakuya stopped in front of a shoji screen door. Renji stepped around to open it for him, and they walked out into one of the many courtyard gardens. The sun was bright, but the air was crisp. Most of the flowerbeds were covered with mulch for the winter, but the flowering quince trees had open fuchsia buds. Pink camellia bloomed along the wall beneath winter daphne shrubs. The garden air smelled of melting frost and moldering leaves and hay. Byakuya indicated that they should sit on the bench underneath the tree. 

Once they were settled, Renji decided to launch right into the matter that had brought him to the estate: “Yeah, so, Captain Kyōraku was weird this morning. I’m thinking his big show at the door was a fake-out to cover for the fact that one of his people tried to poison Daisuke last night. Of course, he was vague enough that I can’t be sure, but some people Daisuke shared a room with last night said he was sick.”

Byakuya listened with his eyes closed and his face tipped back slightly, as if he were trying to soak in a bit of the sun’s warmth. “You suspect someone inside my household?” 

Renji shrugged. They were sitting close enough that his movement pushed against Byakuya’s shoulder a little. “Could be, but I doubt it. I mean Eishirō seems well on top of things; I can’t imagine a stranger getting by him. Plus, there were plenty of other opportunities, depending on how fast the poison acts. There was all the time Daisuke was at the Fourth, and anyone could have bumped into him en route to us. It didn’t manage to kill him, not yet anyways, and so it could have been a hit-and-miss.” Renji clasped his hands between his legs. Leaning forward a little, he stared down at the gravel path at their feet. “Hell, with Kyōraku, for all we know, he could have planted something slow-acting years ago. Kyōraku seems like the long-game sort to me.”

“Indeed he does,” Byakuya said. 

“I told Eishirō to make double-sure of all his people. I’ve got it on my list to reiterate the high alert to the captain of your bodyguards.”

“Yes, very good. It seems you have everything in hand admirably.”

Probably Byakuya didn’t intend it, but the ‘in hand’ compliment flashed Renji back to last night. “Heh.”

Though his eyes remained closed, Byakuya actually let a small smile curl his lip. “None of that now. I’m obviously too tired to successfully avoid double entendre.”

“Yeah, this got you out of bed early, didn’t it?”

“Yes. Far too early,” he said wistfully. “But, Hirako’s father is insistent that I rescind permission for Hirako to attend Academy. As I have been repeating over and over since breakfast, that’s simply impossible; she’s already achieved shikai.”

Renji whistled lowly. “How the hell did she do that without asauchi?”

“It’s a mystery,” Byakuya said. He opened his eyes a little to meet Renji’s curious stare before closing them again. “The zanpakutō soul seems to have sprung from a kaiken that Hirako kept concealed on her person at all times. The kaiken was given as a birthday gift to Hirako from a member of the Kasumioji clan.”

“Is that significant?” Renji asked, sitting upright and resting his back against the bench again. 

“Perhaps. The Kasumioji are second in power to the True First, a secretive matrilineal clan who keep their distance from the public and Central 46.” Byakuya let out a little sigh. “I am not very familiar with them myself, personally, as I so rarely attend court functions, but they are well-known for their forges. Their holdings include lands rich in minerals. In fact, Kasumioji weapons are considered superior to all others. All the same, it is assuredly… ill-advised to have somehow replicated the powers of asauchi.”

Renji nodded. He was reminded of what Kenpachi had said about how hard it was for him to arm his recruits. Given that someone in power clearly wanted to keep a tight control over who had access to zanpakutō, Central would have a conniption fit if it were discovered that a powerful noble house was accidentally arming civilians with living weapons. 

Byakuya tilted his head back so far that Renji heard the kenseikan’s chain clink lightly against the backrest. “Do you ever have days when what you wish for most of all is an opportunity to bash something repeatedly?”

Renji laughed, “Fuck yeah. That’s most days.”

Lifting his head, Byakuya opened his eyes. “Perhaps, once I extricate myself from my family, we could spar?”

“You bet,” Renji smiled. 

Byakuya’s hand clapped Renji’s thigh briefly and he said, “Good. Then, let us meet for lunch and then go somewhere private.”

Renji grinned, “Heh, afraid someone might see you lose your shirt to me?”

With a sniff, Byakuya stood. “It is more that I wish to spare you the embarrassment of a swift defeat at my hands.”

Well, there was that. Renji grunted in acknowledgment of that possibility, “Yeah, okay, I know just the place.”

“Excellent,” Byakuya said, but he didn’t seem in a hurry to go. Thin boned fingers reached out to gently trace the lines on Renji’s forehead. Renji glanced up at Byakuya; the perspective was very sexually suggestive, especially when their eyes met. Byakuya’s fingers continued along Renji’s eyebrows, down the line of his cheek to his sideburns, and then over to trace the outline of his lips. Renji obligingly opened his mouth and nipped at fingertips.

When Renji sucked them in, Byakuya’s breath seemed to catch. 

If he thought they could get away with it, Renji would have dropped to his knees right then and there. But, it was far too dangerous with all the family around, so Renji contented himself with a display of enthusiastic interest in Byakuya’s fingers, tasting soap and skin. His tongue curled along the underside of fingertip, making Byakuya shiver.

Byakuya’s other hand touched the top of Renji’s head, cradling it lovingly, as he said, “Stop. You know we can’t.”

Letting Byakuya’s fingers slip from his mouth, Renji stood up to capture Byakuya’s lips. It was meant to be a consolation, good-bye kiss, but Byakuya’s hand slid down to grip Renji’s neck tightly and his tongue plundered Renji’s mouth. 

Renji’s hands blindly reached to go around Byakuya’s shoulders, but his hand accidentally brushed the kenseikan’s cold, bony slickness and somehow his fingers got caught in the chains.

Byakuya broke their kiss with a “Damn this thing.” He deftly loosened Renji’s fingers and reset the hairpiece. “I’ll be glad to be rid of it.”

Renji wasn’t sure what to say. He loved how Byakuya looked without it, but it was so much a part of who he was, too. Instead, Renji carefully put a kiss on Byakuya’s forehead. “Sorry I messed up the kiss. It was a good kiss.”

“It’s just as well you did,” Byakuya said, straightening his haori and adjusting Senbonzakura. His eyes averted, he said, “Be at my office for lunch. Afterwards, we’ll spar.”

“Yes, sir,” Renji said, because it was clear the mood was gone. In fact, as Byakuya turned away, he sketched a quick bow.

When the door whooshed shut, Renji came up from the bow with a sigh and a heavy, disappointed ache between his legs. Letting his knees collapse, he sat back down on the bench and listened to the lonely winter bird calls and wishing for a lover more like himself with shit self-control, so he could be heels over head right now.

He sat there for a few minutes trying really hard not to imagine what could have happened. Finally, he decided he should get up and get to work before he gave himself a raging hard on. 

Just as he was about to pull himself from the bench, Renji sensed movement out of the corner of his eye—brown curls, so much like Kyōraku’s that Renji’s hand dropped to Zabimaru. But, no, it was just the heir, Shinobu. Shinobu stepped out from behind a bush and made his way to the door. He happened to glance over his shoulder at the bench only to look horrified to see Renji still sitting there. 

Lifting a hand from the bench, Renji waved, but the young heir ducked through the door.

Renji chuckled. That kid must spend all this time slinking around the estate… 

Wait a minute, no one watched the heir—not the bodyguards, not the servants. He would have access to anyone, anywhere. Oh, no way would he be a poisoner, he was just a kid… a kid whose relative was none other than Shunsui Kyōraku…. 

Renji was on his feet and after Shinobu in a heartbeat.

**Author's Note:**

> Another cliffhanger! Sorry! 
> 
> Thanks as usual go to Josey for her typo-spotting. Any that remain are all down to me.


End file.
